New Underoath single misses the mark, but Gillespie’s return gives reason for excitement

Underoath released it’s first single — off their album Erase Me — on Feb. 22.

“On my Teeth” re-familiarizes fans with the band’s patented mid-2000s post-hardcore sound, a musical space where — at the time of their last album — the band was widely consider an genre leader.

The single marks the first piece of music done with drummer, vocalist and founding member Aaron Gillespie in ten years — he left the band after its 2008 release. Gillespie’s dynamic vocals and songwriting were significant reasons Underoath separated itself from most post-hardcore bands. He’ll surely bring back a much-welcomed attitude to the new album.

Listen below:

Unfortunately, the single is bland.

It begins with 30-seconds of drum rolls, and is followed by no clear dynamic change between the verse and chorus. There is no riff to hold onto, or clear melody that makes it digestible for casual fans. Rather, it is a piece of music that sounds like something old people would call “just noise.”

The entire song feels like one temperature, one speed and one feeling. Underoath’s creativity is what made the band stand out over the last two decades. This single is safe.

For better or for worse, the band’s stellar catalog of music has lead me to have somewhat high expectations for this album.The six-piece outfit’s last album, Ø (Disambiguation), was critically well-received. Now, with Gillespie back in the fold, the potential of Erase Me is only elevated. The release of this single is not enough for me to temper my expectations, but it is enough for me to say that I hope it is drastically different from the rest of the album.